Overview

Kratom, Mitragyna speciosa, is an evergreen tree that’s part of the coffee family and is native to Southeast Asia. It has historically been integrated into a number of regional customs, including traditional ceremonies in Indonesia and leaf-chewing by male laborers in Thailand.1

It has been said that kratom leaves are capable of acting as a nootropic, imparting a stimulatory effect at small concentrations and a calming effect at high ones. The potentially psychoactive properties of its main bioactive ingredients—alkaloids—have also been claimed to relieve stress and pain, and help combat addiction to certain drugs.

However, there is currently very little research investigating kratom’s health benefits. Coupled with questions about its safety, kratom use is currently embroiled in much controversy.2

Did you know? Kratom rose to international fame in the 1940’s in the midst of the Pacific Ocean Theater of World War II. The soaring price of opium led users to seek out kratom as a more cost-effective means of achieving similar effects.

How

How Kratom Might Help With Stress

eral potentially stress-alleviating mechanisms have been associated with mitragynine, one of kratom’s most abundant bioactive ingredients, including:

Act

Activating mu-opioid receptors

tom, specifically the mitragynine it contains, has demonstrated a capacity to activate the central nervous system’s mu-opioid receptors (MOR), which are most commonly recognized as the binding site of the painkiller morphine. As a partial agonist of µ (mu) opioid receptors, kratom may promote pain-reducing and euphoric effects.3

Inhibi

Inhibiting calcium channels

ynine has additionally been shown capable of blocking neuronal Ca2+ channels. This mechanism may contribute to the inhibition of neurotransmitter release, which may ultimately help relax muscles and counteract low moods.45

Kratom

Kratom Benefits & Uses for Stress

ority of kratom’s potential health benefits are related to its ability to interact with the brain’s opioid receptors. By binding to them, kratom may be able to assist stress relief by:

Elevating mood

There is little clinical evidence backing the safe use of kratom. Regardless, it is widely available in online herbal stores and at “head shops” in the US, and continues to be used all around the world to:

The Leg

The Legal Battle Behind Kratom

rent controversy surrounding kratom in the U.S. was brought to the limelight after a decision by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in August 2016 to classify the main bioactive ingredients in kratom—mitragynine and 7-hydroxymytragynine—as Schedule I controlled substances, officially turning kratom into a “drug of concern,” similar to the illegal drug heroin.9

Its increased use and a coincidental surge in reports of kratom poisoning in the past couple of years has tightened regulation and instigated the highest number of kratom seizures by authorities in 2016, as well as the banning of its local sale and possession in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.101112

Despite this, kratom use has been on the rise in the U.S. over the past decade.13 The insistence of kratom advocates has convinced the DEA to temporarily place the kratom ban on hold.14

Research

Researcharch

Limited research in rodents suggests the potential of kratom to act on opioid receptors and possibly reduce pain, elevate mood, and reduce anxiety.16

Human Resear

Human Research

height: 18.0pt;">There are currently no successful full-scale clinical trials backing the ostensible health benefits of kratom. Case reports, early studies, and testimonies of individual users are the primary basis on which health claims have been made thus far.

In this review, 95 studies examining kratom were analyzed. The authors note that kratom demonstrated potential to act on opioid as well as serotonergic, GABAergic, dopaminergic, and adrenergic brain systems, and possess associated anxiolytic, antidepressant, and analgesic properties. However, they also note that published preclinical data, case reports, and anecdotal experiences posted online suggest that kratom use carries serious health risks, potentially causing drug dependency and withdrawal, and serious adverse reactions.

The researchers concluded that “altogether, available data on kratom suggest caution: this unregulated plant could exhibit a serious harmful potential, far beyond any “therapeutic” desired effect; in parallel, its anxiolytic, antidepressant, and analgesic properties need to be better explored by scientific research works.”17

The American Kratom Association (AKA), launched in 2015, seeks to protect the right of Americans to utilize the natural plant as well as challenge the spread of misinformation concerning its safety and efficacy.

Dosage for Stress

Dosage for Stress

nical studies using kratom for stress relief have been conducted so far

There is no consistency in dosing, although a low dose of kratom has been reported to contain roughly 2 – 3 grams; a medium dose, 4 – 6 grams; and a large dose, >7 grams

Available Forms

<

Available Forms

andardized to a variable percentage of mitragynine

A powder that is brewed into a tea, smoked, or encapsulated

It is also available as a patch or chewable gum resin

Supplements in Revi

Supplements in Review Says

font-size: 14pt;">Kratom supplementation is banned or controlled.

We do not recommend kratom supplementation due to its questionable safety. Despite the potential for kratom to reduce pain and alleviate stress by acting on opioid receptors, we cannot recommend its regular consumption due to the lack of clinical research on its safety and potential benefits.

Consider using kratom under medical supervision. We recommend staying clear of kratom in all of its forms, but if you are set on using it, stick to a low dose of an unadulterated product with the guidance of a medical professional.18

Comments

Kratom is a godsend for many people who are addicted to legal and illegal narcotics as well as for those experiencing mild depression and social anxiety. It is not physically addictive and taken in powdered leaf form (which is how it should be) is 100% pure and free of harmful pharmaceutical chemicals. You cannot overdose and it does not impair your coordination nor judgment. It is not a recreational drug and you cannot get high from it. It is no more potent than coffee. There was once a time in America when legislators valued individual freedom. This is no longer the case due to ignorance and lobbying from wealthy drug cartels.

Kratom is a medicinal herb used not only for relieving stress but it is also used as a sedative, mood booster, to relieve pain, relieve diarrhea and to wean people off of opiates and other drugs. I have been using Kratom since past 3 years for chronic pain.

I love the way they LIE about Kratom. Its the fact that it helps people naturally and would put BIG PHARMA out of Business that it why they want control of it. Same reasons Cannabis still isn’t legalized. We have to FIGHT BACK against the Corrupt Government and their affiliates. Little RESEACH my A$$